Blade-sharpening apparatus.



(14E. A. GRONBEGH.

BLADE SHARPENING APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED PCT. 5, 1912.

1,069,329, Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHBET l.

Raven/1501'".

U. E. A. GRONBECH.

BLADE SHARPBNING APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FIL'ED OCT. 5, 1912.

1,069,329. Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 flzz'enioz.

"UNITE FFTG.

CHRISTIAN E. A. GRONIBECH, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

BLADE-SHARPENING APYARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 5,1913.

Application filed October 5, 1912. Serial Ito-724,027.

a resident of Jersey City, in the county of.

Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blade-Sharpening Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to a blade-sharpens ing apparatus, and especially to a rotary bladesharpener for sharpening the blades of safety razors.

It is my aim to provide as a substitute for reciprocating generally used a simple, cheap and theroughly efficient rotary blade-sharpener with which, and without the exercise of special skill. blades may be readily sharpened, and in which the pressure applied to the edge to be-sharpened may always be under full control.

In the drawings Figure 1 isa plan of a combined rotary blade-sharpener and a looking-glass or mirror embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the same showing the device mounted on a suitable supporting surface and used as a mirror; is a. substantially central, transverse Fig. 3 section through the combined apparatus showing the construction and mode of mounting of both the blade-sharpening mirror at the opp'ositeside; Fig. 4: is a detail illustrating in transverse section substantially as in Fig. 3 the construction and organization of the principal parts of the rotary blade-sharpening means, showing the manner in which the blade-carrier is rotated and a graduated pressure applied by it to -holder; Figs. 8 and 9 are details of a portion of the same illustrating the manner in which the blade-holder is detachably held in .placeithereby 'for rotation; Fig. 10- is an HHdGIwSldB'VIBW of the main portionof the ative parts of m I sharpener is usua ly a disk, such as 2, at one blfidE-ShfllIJEIlBI'S-i heretofore operating lever; Fig. 11 is a plan of :1; bladeholder with a blade in place'therein, and Figs. 12 and 13 are respectively a central transverse section and a face view of a double-surface sharpening disk having at one side thereof a roughened sharpening and abrasive holding surface which will be hereinafter more fully described.

, Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The main support for the several opcrimproved rotary blade side of which I prefer to place the sharpening apparatus While the other side is preferably so constructed as to securely hold a mirror.

The sharpening apparatus will be first described.

The base of the blade-sharpener, what'- ever the material of which it is formed, embodies a blade-sharpening surface suitable for putt-ing a keen edge on razor blades, etc. This blade-sharpening surface is usually formed on an element separate from the base 2, the element employed ordinarily being a j disk, such as 3, of leather or other suitable material having one or both sides suitably prepared to form a sharpening surface. This element 3 will be more fully described hereinafter. means at one side of the device and the Those elements of the rotary bladesharpener intended to coiiperate direct-1y with and to carry a blade to be sharpened are mounted at the same side of the base 2 as the sharpening surface or element 3. The detailed construction of these parts may also vary considerably. Here the leather disk 3 is supported directly on a flanged disk of metal, 4, securely fastened to the base 2, its flange being a. peripheral one upturned at substantially a right angle, as indicated at 5, to form an upstanding circular rim which with the disk itself is in fixed relation with the wood base 2 and constitutes with said base part of the fixed frame of the apparatus, the disk and the base 2 being secured together by any su itable means. In the present construction all. those parts of the blade -sharpening'. ap paratiis between the disk 4. The principal movement, of

these parts is a movement of rotatiOn ffor which and the frame proper there-is to be relative movement forv thepurposeof bringing about a relative rir- I pivoted at vn herc hearing porcearing here inisin is p: th it be '1; on

formed sleeve, 6, struck up sirom th dish l: and iioiined l, at ts upper end, substanlel with the body of the dish.

l. a; ,A. ,1 g c consul a, stop ageiustunich nism. of support tion.

mechanism during rotains-iv perform these emhcdying a riding from side-carrier, 9, cent to the jour- L), of larger adapted to rest '1 Inge '7 the cendownward oveiuent by '"J is also int nded to be held 'ts pivot by a device which is under side descrihed in the pivot tively against except its direction. o means ore also c ip construction for super cerrie. v a. positive relation betaveeri and the circular rim the disk l. In order that the cost or c nstruction may beredoced us much p piece of n ll {with the c. f dc p or support holder and other elem-sits so a single ion oi M toe KBESSSR blade-currier being; struclt upl from the n etul of the carriei 1 self.

t transverse section this carrier shown as being c substantially llshepcd merncer (see F1:-,-

and e having two parallel side walls s I 3. and 12, hent down 8101 lines from the upper portion oifbod v portion of the 'lGlEldfi Chl rier proper. fit the extreme outer end thcrcoii' the rib 11 is shun-n as halving a' dicated at 13.

transverse rih, the inner and outer walls of which are preferably defined by arcs oi circles struck from the center or the journal or stud 8. This transverse rib is in- AS shown, it is of slightly less depth than the rib 11 in order that it may rest at its under side, 1 on top of the rim and that the extreme end 15 of the rib 11 may form a stop Well for maintain this positive location on? the parts just described, rotate in an exact horizontal plane, it being understood that the top of the run 5 is in such plane. Because of this relation of the rotating; and fixed parts of my rotary blade-sharpener it is possible to move the blade with great accuracy in. a predetermined path in contact with the sharpen ing surface, and as the sharpening surface itself is also in exact parallelism with the top of the rim 521 very smooth and even sharpening oi the edge or". a blade results when it is properly held in place on the blade-carrier and properly 'presscd against the sharpening surface, as by the means now to be described.

The article or blade to he sharpened may be mounted in any suitable type of holder supported on the rotary blade-carrier 9 provided the construction is suches to permit relative up and down movement between I the blade to be sharpened and the sharpen ing surface. Here the blade, Which is desig- .neted by b, is secured in a) holder, desig noted 'enerell b i ii, and comprisin essen- .t-ially a main plate, 16, a clamping plate, 17,

for engaging the blade 6 between it and the main plate 16 and a pivot pin, 18, prO ectmg from the center oi the rear edge of the main :aplatfi 16 and having a circumferential lock- 1; 'in' roove, 19. in this apparatus the blade E3 holder it is intended to be carried by hlude-holderelever, 20, mounted directly on the-bladc-carricr 9 and pivoted thereto in such e; manner as to permit the blade and its holdento be raised away from the sharpeninp, surface and the blade reversed tobring the opposite side of the edge to be sharpened into contact, at Will, with the sharpening surface. The lever 20 may be of any suitable type and construction, but is here shown as pivoted near its center on the blade-carrier 9 and as formed from a single piece oi'nietal having ears, 21, struck up therefrom With openings through them to receive a pivot of the blade-holder h with its blade 7) relative to said blade-holder-lever. An important feature of this lever is that at a point near the sleeve end thereof the metal of the sleeve is struck up to form a spring detent, 25, adapted to lie in the peripheral groove 19 of the pin 18 and detachably connect the blade-holder to the blade-holder-lever in such a manner as to prevent relative longitudinal movement of these parts while permitting free relative rotary movement. This spring detent 25 is shown as formed by cut-ting two parallel lines in one edge of the; split sleeve 23 and turning the transverse tongue so formed inwardly to the position shown in Fig. 9. The metal will of course be sufiioiently resilient to spring in and out of position for engaging and releasing the walls of the locking groove 19 as the pin 18 is inserted into or withdrawn from the sleeve 23. This blade-holder lever and the holder it constitute the means for mounting the blade to be sharpened, an'd'the lever, of course, also constitutes the means for raising the blade and its holder away from the sharpening surfa e. These parts, however, do not in this case constitute the means for turning the blade in contac't with the sharpening surface or for applying pressure to the blade during such turning movement. These functions are intended to be performed by separate means on the blade-carrier for applying downward pressure to the bladeholder at the same time that the blade is rotated. This pressure will preferably be applied to the blade-holder through the bladeholder-lever and at a point between the pivot 2 and the edge to be sharpened. The preferred means for applying such pressure is an operating levenpivoted on the blade-carrier 9 in such a manner as to engage said blade-holder-lever at the point just indicated. The axis of this lever may be coincident with that of the bladeholdcr-lever, and in the. construction shown this operating lever, which may be such as shown at 26, is pivoted to the blade-carrier 9 on the same pin 22 as the bl ade-holder-lever 20. The operating lever 26 shown is also, as to its main element, a one-piece member and as illustrated is somewhat similar in form to the carrier 9, it being substantially U-shaped in cross-section, having a flat topor body portion with depending, substantially parallel stitiening ribs. It is also shown as having a separate handle, 27, secured to the free end of it. At a suitable point-between its ends a transverse rib, 28, is illustrated which is intended to rest on the sleeve ,ofthe blade-holder-lever 20 and by downward pressure thereon applied in a line substantially midway between the ends of the blade-holder 7i and blade 5, force the blade to be sharpened into firm Contact, at every point in the length of the contacting edge, with the sharpening surface.

The devices just described are sufficient for the purpose of eiiecting sharpening at one side of the edge of a blade and also serve in part to control the reversal of the blade to bring the other side of the blade edge into contact with the sharpening surface. The operating lever 26 is so constructed that the cross-bar or rib 28 cooperates with the blade-holder-lever not only at the point previously described, but also at a u point near the free end or handle portion of the blade-holder-lever 20. This co 6peration may be brought about by swinging the. operating lever 26 over to the right in Fig. 8, until the upper side of the crossbar or rib 28 comes 'llllZO COHllilCtWlllll the handle of said lever 20, the movement being continued to strike said handle a sharp v blow and cause the blade-holding end thereof to he suddenly elevated. hen so elevated one end of the blade-holder it will come in contact with a reversing or tripping device on the blade-carrier for the purpose of reversing the blade and blade'holder by turning them about the pivot pin 18 in the bearing sleeve 23. This reversing 0r tripping device is preferably a fixed member, such as 29, struck up from the body of the blade-carrier 9 at a pointadjaoent to the circular member 10. This tripping device 29 constitutes a fixed or resistance actuator bent up substantially as shown in Fig. 3, in a position to be struck by one end of the blade-holder h (see. Fig. 1) when the forward end of the bladeholder-lever is thrown up sharply either by to bring the opposite side of the blade edge intocontact with the sharpening surface.

Any suitable means may, of course, be employed for detachably securing the carrier to its bearing and for preventing r cverse rotation, but in the construction illustrated a single device is shown for performing both functions. This device, as illustrated, is a spring extending from endto end of the blade-carrier 9 and designated generally by 30. At one end it is bent, substantially as shown at 31, to form a com bined detent and releasing handle, the detent portion being so located that the upper side thereof works in the plane of the under side of the horizontal flange 7 of the bearing 6.

. flange 7 and the rim 5 in exact parallelism W o u. .M.

The blade-carrier 9 and the of the appa atus are assembled by drawing backv the free end or handle portion 31 of the detent spring and pressing the stud 8 down in the sleeve 7 to the positionv shown in Fig. 3 whereupon the detent is released and snaps under the flange '7, thus locking the bladecarrier down in place until the detent 31 is withdrawn again. Said detent ooviously ser es to lock the carrier 9 against upward movementin all rotary positions of said car rier. At its opposite end the spring 30 serves in this case is a. braking device to oerative with the rim 5 for preventing reverse turning movement of the blade carrier and as enabled parts. The brake portion of the spring 30 designated by and coacts in this instance with the inner "vertical wall of the flange When the blade-carrier is turned in the iroper direction the free end of the spring 3'2 slides against this vertical wall of the rim 5 but on any attempt to turn the blade-carrier in the opposite direction it gri 'is said wall and prevents such improper movement. The spring 30 is shown as held in place on the blade-carrier between the vertical rib l2 and a pair of strucloup lugs 0r rivets, 33 and S l formed from the metal of the carrier in a manner which will be obvious. @ther ears, and are also shown as struck up from the fiat top ot the carrier 9 and turned into vertical parallelism to form hearings for the pivot pin 22 on which the two levers 20 and 26 are mounted;

When the parts are asseuiljiled as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and the knob 27 is turned in the proper direction, that is, to the right as seen in Fig. l, and suitable pressure ap plied the blade-carrier 9 will rotate on the with the sharpening surface, every point in the edge to be sharpened will be held in con' tact with said s iarpeninp face evenly and with substantially the same pressure applied on each point, the edge ot the blade will travel diagonally through its circular orbit and every point in its edge will always be presented in the same manner to the sl apening surface and soarpened obliquely or with a drawing action, and. at eyery point in the edge the pressure applied can be regulated exactly as desired by the user ct the device.

The sharpening surface, a may be any suitable tor the preferably embodied in disk other suitable material, V 3, which will usually have two dil'iercnt surfaces, one for putting a. rough edge on a blade and the other for obtaining a line edge, as is usual. An important feature of my improved r0 tary bla(ls-sharpener a sharpening disk, one surface of which has tr." yer e lines or channels, 3?, in'ipressed or out therein ment in the rim 5 which. it fills by lugs,

extending substantially from side to side of the zone of travel of the edge or a blade. These lines may be radial, shown, and are intended to facilitate the holding on the surface of the sharpening medium of a. suitable abrasive powder or compound which may be any ordinarily employed for dressing the surface of a razor strep. llhe disk is preferably held against turning moveprojecting through correspt ding perforations near the center of the d1sli'.

The parts just described are all located at one side of the base l. in order that the user may have a substantially complete shaving outfit a mirror is provided the opposite side of the base 2., and the-.J iole device illustrated herein will. usually be mount ed in a case with a set of blades and the handle, etc, of ordinary safety razor set. Here the side the base 2 opposite the sharpening medium is illustrated having a circular undercut or dove-tailed cu -out portion, 88, against the. back wall 0 is placed a suitable round mirror, which is held in place by suitable means, such as a lockingring, 40, between the beveled outer wall of the opening 38 and a correspond ingly beveled periphery of the mirror 39.

A suitable bail, 41, is also shown for holding the combination article either in sharpcning' blades or when it is desired to use it (as in traveling) as a hand mirror. For use as a stationary mirror the bail is simply swung back to the position shown in Fig. 2 and the article placed in the position shown on any suitable support.

What I claim is: v

1. A rotary blade'sharpener, comprising a base having a. sharpening surface, a bladecarrier pivotally supported on said base for rotation about the center thereof, a bladeholder mounted on said blade-carrier for up and down movement relative to the sharp ening surface, and means on said bladecarrier for applying downward pressure to the blade-holder substantially in the center line of a blade to be sharpened and in any r0- tai'y position of the blade-carrier.

2. A rotary bladosharpener, comprising a base having a sharpening surface, a bladecarrier pivotally supported on said base for rotation about the center thereoha blade: holder mounted on said blade'carrier for up and down movement rel atiye to the sharpen- SHTlfiC-B, and an operating; lever pivotally supported on said blade-carrier and cooperative with the blade-holder for applying downward pressure thereto substantially in the center line of a blade to be sharpened.

3. ii. rotary blade-sharpener, comprising a base having a sharpening surface, a bladecarricr piyotally supported on said base for rotation about the center thereof, bladeholder pivoted on said bladacarrier toswing up and down relatively to the sharpening surface, and an operating lever piv- .Otally supported on said blade-carrier at the axis, of said. blade-holder and cotiperative therewith iforapplying downward pressure thereto between the pivot and the free end of said blade-holder;

4. A rotary blade-sharpener, comprising a base having a sharpening surface, a bladecarrier pivotally supported on said base for rotation about the center thereof, a bladeholder-lever pivoted between its ends on said blade-carrier for movement up and down relative to the sharpening surface, a blade-holder carried bysaid blade-holderlever, and means separate from said bladeholder-lever for turning it with the bladecarrier and for pressing its blade-holding ind downward toward the sharpening surace.

5; A rotary blade-sharpener, comprising a base having a sharpening surface, a bladecarrier pivotally supported on said base for rotation about the center thereof, a bladeholder-level rpivoted between its ends on said blade-carrier for movement up and down relative to the sharpening surface, a blade holdercarried by said blade-holder-lever, and means on said. blade-carrier for applying downward pressure to said blade-holderlever at a point between the pivot and the blade-holding end thereof in any rotary position of the blade-carrier.

6, A rotary blade-sharpener, comprising a base having a sharpening surface, a bladecarrier pivotally supported on said base for rotation about the center thereof, a blade-holder-lever pivoted between its ends on said blade-carrier for movement up and down relative to the sharpening surface, a blade-holder rotatably mounted on said blade-holder-lever, a reversing device on said blade-carrier for turning said bladeholder about its axis on said blade-holder lever, and a reversible operating lever movable'into and out of engagement with points at opposite sides of the blade-holder-lever for pressing down the blade-holder or reversing the same.

7 A rotary blade-sharpener, comprising a base having a sharpening surface and also having a central bearing and an annular guide-rim concentric with said bearing, a

blade-carrier mounted at its opposite ends on said bearing and guide-rim respectively for rotation about said bearing, a blade holder mounted' on said blade-carrier for up and down movement relative to the sharp- 3 ening surface, and means for turning the blade-carrier and pressing the blade-holder downward toward the sharpening surface.

8. A rotary blade-sharpener, comprising a base having a sharpening surface and also having a central bearing, a blade-carrier, means for detachably locking said carrier to said bearing for rotation about said-bearing, a blade-holder mounted on said bladecarrier for up and down movement relative to the. sharpening surface, and means for turning the blade-carrier and pressing the blade-holder downward toward said sharpening surface.

-9. A rotary blade-sharpener, comprising a base having a sharpening surface and also having a central bearing and an annular rim concentric with said bearing, a bladecarrier supported at its inner end by said bearing for rotation about the same, a bladeholder mounted on said blade-carrier for 'u and down movement relative to the s arpening surface, means for rotating the blade carrier inone direction and pressing the blade-holder downward toward the sharpening surface, and means for engaging said rim and preventingturning of the bladecarrier in the opposite direction.

10; A rotary blade-sharpener, comprising a base having a sharpening surface and also having a central bearing and an annular rim concentric with said bearing, a bladecarrier supported at its inner end by said bearing for rotation about the same, a blade.- holder mounted on said blade-carrier for up and down movement relative to the sharpening surface, means for rotating the bladecarrier in one direction and pressing the blade-holder downward toward the -sharp ening surface, and a brake at the outer end of said blade-carrier and cooperative with said annular rim for preventing turning of the blade-carrier in the opposite. direction..

11. A rotary blade-sharpener, comprising a base having a sharpening surface and also carrier inone direction and .pressing the blade-holder downward toward the sharpening surface, and a combined locking and braking spring for detachably securing the blade-carrier to its central bearing for rotation and for engaging the annular rim and preventing turning of said blade-carrier in the opposite direction.

12. A rotary blade-sharpener, comprising a base having a sharpening surface and also having a central bearing and an annular guide concentric withs'aid bearing, a bladec arrier mounted at its opposite ends on said' bearing and guide respectively for rotation about said bearing, a blade-holder mounted on said blade-carrier for up and down movement relative to the sharpening surface, and means for turning the blade-carrier and pressing the blade-holder downward toward the sharpening surface.

. a blade-carrier rotatable about said bearing,

means for positively maintaining said bladeczu'riei' throughout its rotation in contact with said annular guide and in a plane parallel with the plane of said sharpeningsuv face, and abiade-holder mounted on said hladecerrier for up and clown movementreiative to the sharpening surface.

14. A rotary bledesharpening device, comprising a base having a central bearing and also having a sharpening surface disposed ebeut said bearing in a single plane oeeeee mounted for relative up and down move went with respect to the sharpening surface, and means on said base and blade-carrying n'iechenism for positively maintainingthe blade-carrying mechanism throughout such rotation in plane parallel with that of said sharpening surface.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York end State of New York, this 2'? day of June, A. D. 1912.

GHRISTIAN E. A. GRONBECH. Witnesses ANNE CL BAR es, Rose EiSENSTADT. 

